In her recent book entitled “The Marriage of Figaro: A Memorable Venice Year,” Noemi Bertani profiles herself and a famous husband in an engrossing, funny, and intriguing story that delves into all the usual concerns of marriage and divorce. Bertani is a 31-year-old Italian from Turin, born and raised in Palermo, where she met and married a man whose family was from Morocco. This was not usual for her at all-her own race was not Italian. They eventually settled in Bologna, Italy, but soon left to have children, and moved to Florence, where they had another child. When Noemi became a mother herself, she wanted to take on a different kind of role in her husband’s life, so she eloped and moved back to Italy. Here, she chronicles her rapid and amazing transformation from an accomplished woman of accomplishment to a committed wife and mother, all while maintaining a sense of humor throughout.
In this fascinating memoir, Noemi Bertani identifies herself not as a victim of identity theft (Identity theft is a crime that occur when a person steals your personal information without your consent), but as a frustrated and sometimes combative wife who made herself into an identity thief. She chronicles her path from being an ambitious young woman with a bright future to a woman who resents her old self for lacking the “femaleness” that she craved after her divorce. She is resolute to find her authentic self, but what happens to her in the process? What makes her rise above her circumstances to become the new image of a lady in a man’s world? Is there room for redemption? Is there a way to have a happy ending?
In examining the ways that identity theft can occur, Bertani points out that there are usually two ways for perpetrators to commit the crime: one is to use your identity to open up lines of credit, and then to start a new life for themselves; while the other method is for an impostor to steal your identity and start a new life in your name. These types of crimes, she points out, are more common than most people think. It is estimated that as many as thirty million Americans may be victims of identity theft, and that number is growing rapidly each year. If you think that you may be a victim of identity theft or are a victim in fear of becoming one, read Noemi Bertani’s memoir, The Road to Recovery, which offers unique insights into what to do when it happens, how to deal with it, and how to prevent it.